The Last of Us: The Last Prototype
by Sir Poma of the Templars
Summary: For almost 25 years, The last Evolved, Michael Diego, has been on the run across the country, going from Quarantine Zone to Quarantine Zone, never staying in one place for more then a couple of months at most, but when he runs into Joel and Ellie on their quest to the Fireflies, he discovers there is more to life then he originally thought. Rated M for blood/gore, cussing, etc.
1. Chapter 1

The city was quiet.

That wasn't anything new, Boston was almost always quiet nowadays, the only disturbance to the silence was the occasional Clicker pack or fight between FEDRA and the Fireflies. He hadn't been in Boston for long (A month to be honest), last time it was Atlanta (4 months), and before that, Chicago (10 days) he moved to Boston because of rumors indicating that FEDRA was getting too tight, which was causing the Fireflies to be more active. That meant more fighting, and Michael loved watching people tear each other new assholes, Fireflies and FEDRA alike.

Michael chuckled, a rare event in that time. FEDRA, what a bunch of moronic assholes, Blackwatch made them look like a swoop gang back in the day. Shit, thinking like that made him feel old. He was 40, but the Blacklight or "Mercer" Virus kept him from aging. He still looked like a teenager. It had been 25 years since he had been infected, 25 long years, time passed by at a snails pace for Michael sometimes, a day could feel like a year, and a year can feel like a decade, it really depended on how bored he got.

He shuddered from atop the Skyscraper. Boredom. His worst enemy, Blackwatch and FEDRA be damned, was boredom. It drove him to the literal brink of insanity on occasion to the point where he would do anything to amuse himself, hell, he once disguised himself as a Firefly soldier for two months just so he could have some fun killing FEDRA. But then it got boring and his disguise was tragically eaten alive by a pack of clickers, or so they thought. In reality he simply faked being dead to convince them.

It worked, seeing as how he did not even need to breathe to stay alive, again, thanks to the Mercer Virus.

But now he was bored all over again, and when Michael Diego is bored, heads roll. As he was crouched on the edge of the building, he looked around the city from his high perch, to his left was the Quarantine Zone, who had gained the cognitive ability to learn not to fuck with him a long time ago, once upon a time they sent patrols and APC's after him around Boston.

17 Dead patrols and 20 destroyed APC's later, they stopped sending people to try and capture and/or kill him. It's amazing how killing people gains you privacy & respect.

He stood up as he heard thunder in the distance. It would storm soon, he would have to get to lower ground, he got struck by lightning six years back. He lived, but he had no intention of going through _that_ again.

He took a single step forward, and began to plummet nearly 400 feet to the ground, as he landed it cracked the asphalt and sent some of it flying around him, making a noise that every Clicker within 3 miles worth it's beans could have heard, and he took off into a sprint towards the Quarantine Zone at speeds that no human should be able to accomplish.

But Michael Diego was not human. Not anymore. He was the last trace of the 2008 infection, the remnant of Mercer's legacy, the sole survivor of the evolved.

He was the last Prototype.


	2. Chapter 2

When he reached the underpass leading to the Quarantine Zone, it was pouring rain, and the lightning and thunder was getting more frequent and violent by the minute. Several underpasses were already starting to flood, turning them into bodies of water.

Water & Michael did _not_ mix. Point, blank, period.

He looked around to determine on another, less wet, path. He saw a street lamp about 100 yards away, maybe...

Michaels right arm shifted, tendrils of red biomass changing into another form. Michael threw his right arm out and a long rope-like spiked tentacle shot out of where his hand was supposed to be and grabbed onto the neck of the street lamp. This was what he called the "Whipfist", and by God, it was useful. He then launched himself like a slingshot toward it by pulling and he flew through the air, using his viral grappling hook to reach the other side of the underpass, he landed on the other side with a roll and shifted his arm back to its normal shape.

Unfortunately, several runners & clickers noticed him and charged, in response his left arm shifted into the form of a massive blade as tall as he was and the first runner to reach him was sliced in half and consumed for good measure, then he spun and sliced apart another three. But then, a Clicker amongst them was able to grab him and bite into his neck and infect him.

Or, at least, it tried. Michael grabbed the clicker and slammed it onto the ground before stomping his foot into its head, killing it. He then willed for the wound on his neck to heal. He did not worry about the Cordyceps, he had been bitten numerous times over the years, and every time the Fungus could not sustain itself inside of his body and died off, this time was no different.

He looked up, daring for anything else to come at him. His only remaining challenger was another Clicker that was coming at him, he willed his hands to shift into the last weapon in his arsenal. His fingers morphed into 10 long, razor sharp and lethal "Claws" as he liked to call them, he then charged the Clicker and embedded his claws into it's chest then pushed up, almost slicing the infected in half. As the creature fell dead he smirked. Problem solved. His fingers and hands shifted back to normal.

Michael continued on toward the QZ, jumping over minor obstacles such as cars or concrete barriers. When he was less then 200 feet from the wall he scaled a 5 story building to get a better vantage point. From there he could see the spotlights, sniper towers, and guards along the wall, there were also some armored vehicles patrolling the perimeter around it, if he wanted to get inside, he would have to be smart and quiet, rather then loud and stupid, like the fireflies' methods.

Michael jumped off the building and pressed his feet against it to slow his fall as he went down, he landed with only a slight thud, he then snuck up behind a FEDRA soldier that was dumb enough to be separated from the rest of his unit, and the soldier payed for it by cellular deconstruction, to put it more simply, the man was consumed by Michael for his appearance, memories, and voice. Captain Harold Jones, 23, single, shift ended in 5 minutes, perfect.

Michael shifted his entire body to appear as the Soldier, and picked up the man's M16. He then began to approach the QZ's gate. As he approached the gate he was addressed by another soldier, the commander

"Just ending your shift, Captain?" The CO asked.

"Yes sir, commander." Michael replied in a perfect imitation of Harold Jones' voice.

"Get some shut-eye, Captain, you're up again in 6 hours, am I clear?" The bulked up man asked the disguised Michael.

"Sir, yes sir!" Michael replied. _The Military_, he thought, _what a bunch of psychotic, homicidal, demanding bastards._

As Michael went through the mandatory scans, he couldn't help but smirk beneath the helmet. They were only concerned about the Cordyceps, they never scanned for anything else. The Mercer virus had been "Eradicated" in 2010 after James Heller was cornered then killed in Times Square, or so they thought. He was in Trenton, New Jersey by the time that incident happened.

As he completed the scans and walked in he noticed that most people were inside their makeshift homes, trying to avoid the freezing rain. He didn't care whether anything was hot or cold, his body couldn't freeze to death nor could it catch heat stroke. He was pretty damn sure he was immortal in that sense

Suddenly, an alarm went off and a soldier rushed past him yelling "We've got stragglers outside the wall!"

What the fuck? What human would be dumb enough to leave a QZ? A smuggler maybe?

Michael decided to find out, when no one was looking, he shifted forms, jumped up, and glided over the wall, using the darkness of night to his advantage. He looked around carefully, using the lightning as a quick flashlight, when he saw those "Stragglers"

It looked like two women and a man, one of the women was smaller then the other, probably a child, they were all running in a trench, hiding from the FEDRA soldiers. Michael knew that any second they would be spotted, and decided to amuse himself by giving them a hand.

A FEDRA soldier almost exposed them before Michael cut off his head with his blade. Another soldier spotted Michael and yelled "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

And that was when shit hit the fan, and the fun began.

**A/N: The entire story will go with two Chapters under one characters POV, next there is Ellie, and after that, Joel, then we go back to Michael. Until the next Chapter! Adios! **


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie wasn't sure what to think.

The two people she was being smuggled by, Joel and Tess, let her live after finding out she was bitten. Or maybe they let her live because that had to get out of there before the Military caught them, they jumped down into a trench and ran for their lives.

As they were running she heard a soldier scream "WHAT THE FUCK?!" At the top of his lungs, before she heard a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

"LIGHT THAT THING THE FUCK UP!" She heard another man yell before a wave of gunfire began.

"What the fuck is going on up there?" She asked the adults, Joel and Tess had stopped moving and were listening to the supposed battle above them.

"I don't know, and I don't wanna know." Joel replied after an armored truck was seen moving into the fray, firing a large light machine gun at the unknown assailant of the patrol.

Tess nodded and said. "Agreed, lets keep moving-" but before she could finish, Ellie heard a metallic groaning noise and the exact same armored truck they saw only seconds ago sailed over their heads, as though it were thrown like a toy, it landed on the other side of the trench with an explosion so intense it shook the ground beneath them, and a second later Ellie could feel the heat of it.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed, she was in complete awe at what she had just seen. _What could have thrown a fucking armored truck like that?_ She wondered.

"Move!" Joel barked. Ellie didn't need to be told twice, she ran like she had never ran before right behind them. As they ran Ellie heard someone yell "Full retreat! Full retreat!" followed by screaming, and a laugh. A cold, insane, humorless laugh that sent chills down her spine. It encouraged her to run faster. That laugh somehow promised death.

After an hour, they rested, they were in a building about 2 miles away from the trenches, Ellie was looking where the battle had taken place, several vehicles were still burning despite the rain, and every time lightning flashed, she could see dozens of mutilated bodies on the ground. _What the fuck was that thing?_ It wasn't human, she knew that much...

"Ellie." She heard someone say behind her, she jumped, then relaxed. Only Joel.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"We're moving out soon." He told her.

"Roger dodger." She said as she picked up her backpack. Suddenly she saw something out of the corner of her eye, it looked like a teenager around her age, a boy, in a black leather jacket and cargo jeans crouching on the window nearly twenty feet away from her, what was worse was that she could have sworn it was looking at her like she was a fucking _slab of meat_, when she turned her head to get a better look, the figure was gone.

Maybe it was just her imagination? She hoped so.

"Lets go!" Joel hissed, making her jump for the second time that day.

"Alright, alright!" She snapped as she slung her backpack onto her back.

She, Joel, and Tess left the 3rd floor of the building, moving towards the second floor.

Little did they know, they were being followed.

**A/N: I know these Chapters are short, but I really don't have a lot of time to write them in my day so I just write them down, freshen them up a little, and pump them right out. It's because of a busy schedule. Next Chapter I will try very hard to make longer and more eventful. Cheers.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Im so sorry for the delay, i was a fucking retard and accidentally deleted this chapter and had to rewrite the entire fucking thing from scratch, (Three Fuck yous for Apple and the IPhone 4! Hip hip! Fuck you! Hip hip! Fuck you! Hip hip! Fuck you!) so here you go, I'm so sorry.**

Ellie couldn't believe it. The fireflies that were supposed to meet them were all dead. And Tess was about to die, for her.

"We can't just leave her!" The redhead protested as Joel closed the door to the Lobby.

"Be quiet! Up the stairs!" Joel growled. What choice did she have but to comply? As they walked up the stairs they heard gunshots, and they stopped abruptly.

As they opened the door to the second floor they heard the soldiers report that Tess had taken out two of their men. "Shit, Tess!" Ellie whispered as she watched their companions blood spread around the body.

"Come on, this way." Joel whispered as he moved towards an office.

The next five minutes were spent with them avoiding FEDRA while trying to leave, after they reached a room where Joel Recovered a Hunting Rifle from a fireflies corpse, they heard footsteps approaching them followed by a shout. "THEY'RE IN HERE!"

Joel whipped around to kill the soldier. Only he never got the chance, for suddenly the window next to the soldier shattered and he was grabbed by some type of tentacle and thrown out of the building. Then a person came through.

Ellie gasped and the new arrival looked at her and did the same. He looked shocked.

He was the Teenage Boy she saw on the Window earlier! The jacket, the cargos, the shoes, only she had a clearer view of his personal features. He had blonde hair, white skin, and the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

She remembered when she was Eleven someone in the Boarding School had smuggled a 'Kaleidoscope' into the girls dorm and showed everyone else how it worked, the boy's eyes reminded her of the toy.

They were blue and green in a pattern similar to the Kaleidoscope, yet there was something inhuman about how vivid the colors were, almost as though they were glowing.

She watched as he regained his composure, but before he could utter a word more footsteps were heard approaching them, and she swore she heard a type of animalistic growl come out of the teenagers throat.

Then things got scary.

She watched as his arm shifted into a fucking BLADE and he charged toward the doorway, she heard the panicked shouts of the FEDRA soldiers and gunfire before she heard slicing sounds and the sounds of something wet going everywhere.

She had a horrible feeling that those wet sounds were Blood being spilled. Joel aimed his hunting rifle at the door and prepared to pull the trigger.

When the boy walked back through Joel pulled the trigger and the boys head exploded from the round, only to both the man and girls horror it began to do the impossible and reform. Just as his face took back its shape Joel tried to reload, only the teenagers arm shifted again and a type of spiked whip shot out, grabbed onto the rifle, and pulled it out of Joel's hands. He then gave both of them a glare so intense that Joel took a step back.

"Do. Not. Shoot. Me. In. The. Face. Again." He growled.

For the first time in short period Ellie knew Joel, the man looked terrified. The boy then dropped the Rifle and said. "That's better. It looks like your going on a suicide journey into the ass end of nowhere. If you're looking for The Fireflies, they have left Boston. FEDRA has them in full retreat."

"How do we know you ain't lyin'?" Joel asked as he pulled out his handgun and aimed it at the boy.

The boy sneered and replied. "You don't, but if you want to live I suggest you trust me. More soldiers are on their way."

Ellie then whispered to Joel. "I don't like him, but we could use him... Strength in numbers and all that..."

Joel didn't look happy, he stood there for nearly a minute unmoving, but then he slowly lowered the pistol and said. "Fine. How do we get out?"

"Follow me." The boy said before adding "My name is Michael, yours?"

"Joel, this is Ellie." The middle aged man gestured to the Girl.

"Well then, Ellie and Joel. Stay close and you might live to see tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

Joel was an expert on disturbing things.

He had survived for 20 years from the Cordyceps Brain Infection Outbreak, he had seen and done things that would make most peoples skin crawl, and he had watched people die in brutal ways.

But an Australian Teenager with the ability to shape-shift his limbs into claws, blades, and whips? That was new.

Said teenager tearing people apart with said weapons? Also new.

And then there was him grabbing a FEDRA soldiers pistol, then catapulting himself over the mans back while shooting 3 others dead. That blew Joel's mind.

Long story short, Joel realized that despite her inexperience and age, Ellie was right, Michael would be a useful Ally. The only issue was Joel didn't trust him. At all.

"FUUUUUUUCK!" The last soldier screamed as Michael threw him out the window.

"Well, that's FEDRA taken care of." Michael said as though he had just taken out the trash.

Joel couldn't make himself speak, Ellie looked as though she was about to be sick, while Michael kept a calm demeanor. It sickened them both.

"I know I'm a little strange. But it's rude to stare." Michael said.

"A little strange?!" Ellie snapped. She was horrified, Joel could tell. "What the fuck even are you?!"

Michael frowned, as though the question intrigued him. "You know what? I have absolutely no fucking idea, really." He chuckled before adding. "Am I a virus? Am I even a human anymore? Or am I just a human infected with said virus? I haven't the foggiest. I know that I can't be destroyed, not easily anyway. I know that I can consume people and take their memories, appearance, and even their voice, which gives me the ability to be anyone, anywhere, which is perfect for laying low. I know that I can lift and throw things nine times my mass and weight as though they were toys. I know I can shape-shift my limbs into weapons to use against anyone and anything. So tell me, Ellie, what do you think I am?"

After that speech, Ellie looked as though she were trying to swallow a mouse, primarily because Michael's left arm had shape-shifted into claws and he seemed to be using them to clean his nails. "I think your a fucking freak..." She said.

Joel thought she had just killed them both, but Michael just cackled. "You, BlackWatch and FEDRA all three, Ellie." He said, once he controlled himself.

Joel had never heard the second word he said. "BlackWatch?" He asked.

"Yes, BlackWatch, a military organization formed to stop the BlackLight Virus. The Virus that I either am the incarnation of or just infected with." Michael said.

"How come i ain't never heard of it before?" Joel asked.

"BlackLight was designed to be a biological weapon by a company called Gentek. Until, in 2008, a man named Alex Mercer smashed a sample in Penn Station, releasing it on Manhattan." Michael explained. "The infection killed millions, and turned them into mindless monsters, not unlike the infected nowadays. BlackWatch was top secret, the elite, they were assigned to wiping the infection out. And they succeeded. Until a year later."

Ellie and Joel had both listened with horror, yet also interest. The silence lingered until Ellie broke it "What happened a year later?"

"When Alex Mercer died, the virus entered his bloodstream, it infected him, changed him, _became_ him. He woke up in a morgue, with abilities much like mine. Over time he created an army of people like him, called Evolved." Michael looked both of them in the eye. "I was amongst them. Originally my name was Michael James Diego, I was an Australian Exchange Student for a boarding school in north Manhattan. I had a normal life before this hellhole. I had a girlfriend named Anna, a lot of friends, I couldn't ask for a better life. Then Mercer came along..." Michael growled. "He infected me, and told me my job was to keep an eye on the boarding schools science professor, because she was rumored to be working with BlackWatch." He continued. "After that, I became a wanted fugitive. I couldn't leave New York, and Anna was the only good part of my life at that point. Later on Mercer was killed by another Evolved called James Heller. Heller, after killing Mercer, wiped out the entire infection. He would have gotten me too. Only Anna had bribed a BlackWatch soldier to smuggle us to the jersey shore for a date. Anna & I saw the battle between Mercer and Heller from live television." Michael stopped talking.

Ellie and Joel were both silent.

"But enough about me, why are you here? Why risk everything to find the bloody Fireflies?" Michael continued.

"Because I'm immune." Ellie said. Michael laughed.

"Yeah, sure, and I had sex with a Clicker last night!" He replied, but he saw the look on Ellie's face and his face went slack. "You're not kidding... Show me..."

Joel was about to protest, but Ellie had already pushed up her sleeve, revealing the bite mark. Michael walked toward her and examined the bite, he appeared intrigued.

"40 years, I've lived for 40 years, and I still don't understand Humanities will to survive, to evolve, to stay alive." Michael said as he examined Ellie's arm.

"You've lived for how long?" Joel asked, he was certain he misheard.

"40 years, 6 months and 14 days." Michael replied.

"But you still look-" Joel said before Michael interrupted.

"Like a teenager? The BlackLight Virus doesn't allow me to age." He explained. He let go if Ellie's arm. "I have a request." He announced.

"And that is?" Joel inquired. He was very suspicious.

"Let me come with you. I have nothing better to do, Killing FEDRA's getting boring, besides, I've navigated this country for years, I could help guide you." Michael said.

Joel contemplated this. He didn't trust Michael, but Ellie had a point, there was strength in numbers, and with Michael they have the element of surprise, due to the Teenagers ability to be a weapon.

"Fine." He said. "Now, we're goin' to a friend of mine, he can get us a car."

Michael looked like he had just placed a bet on a Pitbull in a dog fight. He looked like he was anticipating seeing what would happen. Ellie rolled down her sleeve and said "Roger Dodger."

As Joel turned around he heard Ellie whisper to Michael. "So what was life like before the infection?" He sighed, it was going to be a long day.

He could feel it.

**A/N: I made this chapter to explain who Michael was, and give you guys an idea on why he has said Australian accent. To those of you who may have found out what I did with Michael that links him to what I linked him to, do me a favor and don't spoil it. Till next chapter! Farewell.**


	6. Chapter 6

Joel tended to the fire in front of him while Ellie rummaged through her backpack, taking out three cans of food, Michael was staring into the fire, leaning against a tree. They had stopped a few miles from the Boston exit on the highway to rest for the night. The sun had set nearly an hour ago.

"There, that oughta keep burning till dawn." Joel said as he placed a few more sticks onto the fire.

"Won't the fire and smoke attract something?" Ellie asked.

"Maybe, but I don't think that it'll be anything we can't handle." Joel replied.

"Agreed, no one in their right mind would fuck with the incarnation if the Mercer Virus." Michael told the two of them.

Joel nor Ellie replied. Since their journey had begun they had learned that Michael was indeed nearly invincible, they had even watched him get bit by three clickers, then throw all three out of the building they were in, while the areas he was bitten in healed. When Ellie had asked him why the fungus didn't work on him he replied. "I suppose the Cordyceps doesn't like BlackLight for supper.". With that, they dropped the subject.

Ellie eventually began having trouble opening the cans of food. "Ah man!" She complained.

"What is it?" Michael asked.

"I can't get these fucking cans opened!" The teenager replied as she reached for her switchblade.

"Don't, you'll ruin your only weapon. Give the can to me." Michael told her. Joel watched as Ellie handed Michael one of the cans. Michael's left hand shifted into claws, one of which he used as a can opener by cutting off the lid. "Here you go." He said handing her the open can.

"Wow, thanks..." Ellie said.

"No problem, I may be a Bioweapon, but I also can be a can opener!" Michael said with a small snicker.

Ellie laughed, Joel just smirked and shook his head. He noticed that Michael had opened two cans and left the third alone and had handed the third can to Ellie.

"Aren't you gonna eat too?" Joel asked.

"I don't need to. I don't need to eat, or drink, or piss, or shit, or sleep or even breathe. The only thing I need is fresh genetic material, and I can go without even that for weeks." Michael explained.

Joel nodded, in deep thought. What did he mean by 'Genetic Material'?

Ellie asked the same question. "what do you mean?"

"Well, when I consume people, their genetic material, or DNA, whatever you want to call it, heals me, feeds me, keeps me going." Michael said.

"So... When you kill people and absorb them, you heal? That's... Pretty awesome actually." Ellie said.

Michael smiled. "Thank you El-" Suddenly he was grabbed from behind as someone tried to slit his throat, but Michael appeared unhurt. Joel watched as Michael whipped around and impaled the person with the arm-blade. The person was stabbed clean through the chest, and after Michael had pulled his blade from the man, fell down dead.

"Well that was unexpected..." Michael said, his arm shifting back to normal.

"I doubt he was alone." Joel said as he grabbed his Rifle.

"Agreed. People travel in packs nowadays." Michael said as he looked around.

Joel suddenly heard a strange sound. It sounded like a _thunk_! But Michael immediately tensed up, turned his head to the left of them, and lifted his left arm, which was actively shifting into his blade with incredible speed. Just as the blade covered his face there was a large explosion that engulfed him, before the smoke and fire cleared and a very amused Teenager was left behind.

"NICE TRY YOU STUPID WANKERS! I EAT M203 GRENADES FOR FUCKING BREAKFAST!" Michael yelled.

The next thing Joel heard was screaming.

Michael grinned. "Actually, M203's are snacks. I generally prefer Napalm." He said.

"What?"

"Nothing."

**A/N: I know this is short, but I needed to fire something out, and I just wrote this down. Next Chapter will be through Michael's POV. And will be at Bills. Michael and Bill meeting each other? That will be fun to write. Until next time.**


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